Critique of Tyler and Wiggins

In his book Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction, Ralph Tyler outlines four critical components of curriculum that may serve as a guide to the creation of curriculum as well as a tool for the analysis and interpretation of curriculum. The four basic components consist of educational purposes (or objectives), educational experiences (or learning activities), organization, and evaluation (Tyler, 1949, p. 1). While Tyler does speak to each of these four components, nearly half of the book is devoted to the section on objectives. For Tyler, the objectives are the starting point in the development of the curriculum and the cornerstone upon which the rest of the curriculum is shaped. Given the shifts that have occurred in education specifically and in our society in general, there was a fair amount of information that may not be applicable in our current educational situation. As I was reading, though, I found it amazing that much of what Tyler said nearly sixty years ago is relevant today. However, as I attempted to examine Tyler’s rationale from a neutral perspective, meaning not through the eyes of an educator today, but simply through the eyes of an educator, it was the section on which he devoted the majority of the book, the objectives, that I was able to critique several aspects. Two areas of criticism emerged as I further examined the objectives: time and resources and objectives versus activities. In the creation of objectives, Tyler suggests the utilization of studies of learners and contemporary life. While I do think that this information is valuable, I question the feasibility of having the time and the resources to carry out such studies in a way that would translate into the creation of objectives. Tyler (1949) reasonably suggests that a teacher’s initial “study” should consist of an examination of the students’ cumulative records if available (p. 13). On the other hand, he also suggests studies within the community to identify issues

References: Tyler, R.W. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Wiggins, G. & McTighe (2005). Understanding by design (2nd Ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The Wyoming Assessment System. “The Wyoming Comprehensive Assessment System DesignReport.” http://www.k12.wy.us/SA/wycas/archive/PubsPresent/pubs/TestDesign/glossary.htm